Weekly Hackathon Prototyping

A group of tech entrepreneurs and engineers meet regularly at home to prototype new product ideas through casual hackathons. Here's how they structure these sessions.

Format & Structure

• Meet every 1-2 weeks at someone's home
• Casual setting around a table with laptops
• Focus on ideation and rapid prototyping
• Multiple sessions needed to complete projects
  • First session rarely finishes a complete product
  • Ideas evolve and improve over subsequent sessions

Project Example: Website Performance Testing Tool

• Built tool to test websites from global locations
• Key Features:
  • Video records how sites load from different countries
  • Shows visual loading experience vs just technical metrics
  • Helps identify performance issues across regions
  • Provides visual evidence of site problems
• Potential Applications:
  • Performance optimization
  • UX testing across devices
  • Machine learning analysis of design issues
  • Cross-device compatibility testing

Benefits of Regular Hackathons

• Consistent creative outlet
• Low-pressure environment to test ideas
• Builds momentum through iteration
• Creates accountability through group setting
• Combines social and technical aspects
• Allows for rapid prototyping and feedback

The format emphasizes casual experimentation while maintaining enough structure to actually ship products. The recurring nature helps ideas evolve beyond initial prototypes into more polished solutions.